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As a City Council member, John earned the reputation of being the Taxpayer’s Watchdog at City Hall and was labeled by the Times Union as “among the most aggressive protectors of tax dollars on the City Council.” For eight years, he was the only Council member who chose not to employ an assistant, saving taxpayers more than $500,000.

As a former licensed franchisee of Hickory Farms, John is the only candidate with 37 years of experience managing more than a dozen store locations and delivering exceptional customer service t customers. When combined, his City Council service and retail background make him the best candidate in this race.

As your next Tax Collector, John pledges to work for you - the taxpaying customer - to provide;

· Shorter customer wait times at all Tax Collector locations

· More convenient hours (including evening and Saturday hours at some locations)

· Courteous and friendly service to every customer

· A reduction/elimination of penalties (service charges) for paying online

John, a resident of Jacksonville since 1965, is married to his wife Tanya, a Jacksonville native. They attend Christ’s Church in Mandarin and have the unique story of meeting on a blind date! John is a proud graduate of the Bolles School, Florida Junior College (now Florida State College Jacksonville) and Jacksonville University ? where he triple majored in marketing, economics and management.

He is a proven fiscal conservative and respected local businessman, known for being tight with a dollar. John has earned the reputation of being the taxpayer’s watchdog during his tenure on the Jacksonville City Council. He demonstrates his commitment to public service by always doing his homework and he has never missed a regular City Council meeting during his more than 18 years of combined service on the City Council (410 consecutive Council meetings as of February 2019).

After leaving office in 1999 (following his first two terms of service), John remained active in civic issues. He led the petition drive to place the overwhelmingly successful Tree Preservation Charter Amendment on the November 2000 ballot, and worked tirelessly on other initiatives to reduce litter and visual pollution.

John returned to the City Council in a special election in 2008 and was elected again for a full four-year term in 2011, and a second four-year term in 2015. John presently serves as a member of the Council’s Rules Committee as well as its Transportation, Energy & Utilities Committee. He also serves as chairman of the Tree Commission, a member of the North Florida Regional Council and an ex-officio non-voting member of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. In both 2014 and 2018, John received the City Council’s prestigious Charles Webb Award for Outstanding Service to the Council. In 2013, he received the Mary Singleton Award for most outstanding committee chair as Finance Committee Chairman.

In 2018, John was appointed chairman of the 19-member Special Committee on the Potential Sale of JEA which met weekly for six months, publishing a final report in July 2018. He also authored and championed legislation to put a straw ballot question before voters in November, asking whether they wanted any future sale of JEA to come before the voters for final approval. Voters responded overwhelmingly that “YES”, they did want the final say, and John authored and successfully moved legislation through the City Council that changed the city’s charter and now requires any future sale of JEA to be approved by the voters.

John has the courage and determination to ask the tough questions and to say no to unnecessary fees and taxes. As the former local franchisee of Hickory Farms for more than three decades, he managed a successful small business by balancing budgets, cutting expenses and operating efficiently. He understands how too much regulation, red tape and taxation can hurt small businesses.

John has served on the board of directors for a variety of charitable and civic organizations, including the Jacksonville Humane Society, Friends of the Jacksonville Public Library and Arlington’s Tree Hill Nature Center.

Note: The candidate's photograph and statement are supplied by the candidate and are not endorsed by the County Supervisor of Elections or checked for accuracy.
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